Counterpoise lamp



Nov. 26, 1968 R. SONNEMAN COUNTERPOISE LAMP Filed May 31, 1967 INVENTOR. F/G. 6 faasfr fA A/ 444 mew United States Patent Olhce 3,413,459Patented Nov. 26, 1968 3,413,459 COUNTERPOISE LAMP Robert Sonneman, 210E. Gtith St., New York, N.Y. 10021 Filed May 31, 1967, Scr. No. 642,4693 Claims. (Cl. 240-69) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lamp having anarcuate body member which is mounted for rotative movement and, in turn,rotatably and pivotally mounts a counterpoise boom having a light meansthereon, so that the light means is movable into a wide range ofpositions.

The present invention relates generally to lamps, and more particularlyto an improved lamp in which the light means thereof is readilyadjustable in position.

It is highly desirable to be able to readily adjust the position of thelight means of a lamp, but in achieving this use cannot beindiscriminately made of connections which allow pivotal, rotative andother degrees of movement between the lamp parts. Care must beexercized, for example, to avoid a construction in which inadvertentmovements occur which prevent the user from setting the lamp and itslight means in one desired position. Additionally, the mechanicalaspects embodied by the lamp to achieve positioning of the light meanscannot be permitted to adversely effect the asthetic appearance of thelamp or render the manufacturing cost prohibitive.

Broadly it is an object of the present invention to provide a lamphaving a readily adjustable light means which also is of extremelysimple construction, has a correspondingly simple mode of operation, andis noteworthy in appearance. Specifically, it is an object to provide alight means in a lamp which is movable through movement traverses withits supporting structure and also independently thereof, and which,despite these many degrees of movement, is not prone to inadvertentmovements.

A lamp demonstrating objects and advantages of the present inventionincludes an arcuate shaped body rotatably mounted at one end and, at itsother end, movably mounting a counterpoise boom having a light means.The boom movements, more particularly, consistent with maintaining asimplified construction are only pivotal and rotative but, supplementedby the previously noted rotative movement of the supporting body, renderit readily possible to provide a wide range of positions to the lightmeans.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated byreference to the following detailed description of presently preferred,but nonetheless illustrative embodiments in accordance with the presentinvention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, with portions broken away and in section,of a first embodiment of a counterpoise lamp in accordance with thepresent invention, in which positions of the counterpoise boom of thelamp are illustrated in full line and in phantom line perspective;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view, on an enlarged scale and in section takenon line 2-2 of FIG. 1, illustrating details of the mounting between alamp support member and the counterpoise boom;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, in section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2,illustrating further structural details of the mounting;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the mounting illustrating furtherstructural details thereof;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing details of the universal mounting ofthe light means of the counterpoise boom; and

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of a lamp accordingto the present invention.

Reference is now made to the drawings and in particular to the firstembodiment of a counterpoise lamp illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 and generallydesignated 10. A second embodiment of the lamp, illustrated in FIG. 6and generally designated 10a, is identical to the tfirst embodiment inall major respects except that it is a floor standing model whereas thefirst lamp embodiment 10 is adapted, in practice, to be supported in anelevated position on a Wall 12 by a wall bracket 14. An essentialfeature of the lamp 10. as will be more fully described herein, residesin the large number of positions it can assume due to the relativemovements between its parts.

More particularly, the lamp 10 includes an arcuate shaped tubular body16 having one end 16a rotatably disposed in a bore 14a in the wallbracket 14 so that the lamp body 16 is movable through a rotatabletraverse about the longitudinal axis of the bore 141:. A lock Washer 18or similar element is appropriately fixedly mounted on the end 16a andserves as a stop limiting the extent to which this body end is projectedthrough the wall bracket 14. At its opposite end, the body 16 hasappropriately mounted thereon a mounting means 20 which connects acounterpoise boom 22 to the body 16 while permitting rotational andpivotal movements A and B, respectively, in the counterpoise boom 22with respect to the body 16.

The counte-rpoise boom 22 includes a counterweight 24 which isthreadably engaged to a threaded end 22a of the boom and also a lightmeans 26 carried on its opposite end. For simplicity sake, the electricbulb, electrical wiring and similar elements which will be understood tobe a part of the light means 26 have been omitted as not being necessaryfor a complete understanding of the present invention. The presentinvention relates more to the mechanical aspects of the lamp 10 by whichthe individual parts thereof are movable relative to each other, andthus the drawings and description are confined to these mechanicalaspects.

One of the more significant of these mechanical aspects is the provisionfor rotative and pivotal movement of the counterpoise boom 22 relativeto the body 16 which, in the preferred embodiment as illustrated herein,is achieved by the previously noted mounting 20. Mounting 20, as bestshown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, is formed from a comparatively short lengthof tubular stock 20a which, at its lower end, has a machined groove 20bproviding bifurcated legs 20c. The boom 22 has a reinforcing sleeve 28thereon through which there is machined a through bore 30, as best shownin FIG. 2. A pivot pin 32 is projected through the bore 30 and the legs20c and is threadably engaged with threads in the opening in one of thelegs 20c. A knurled body 32a on the pin 32 is conveniently gripped andturned to provide threaded engagement of the pivot pin 32 with the oneleg 200 until the body 32:: is firmly seated against the other leg 20c.This holds the pivot pin 32 *firmly in place. As a consequence, the boom22 is free to partake of pivotal movements B about the axis of the pivotpin 32 to the full extent of the clearance of the machined slot 29b. Inthis regard, it will be understood that the counterweight 24, the lampmeans 26 and the distances of each from the pivot are selected so that acounterbalance of weights is effected with the result that the lightmeans 26 will normally remain in any pivoted position in which it isplaced. Should any adjustment be required to strike a better weightbalance, this is readily achieved by threaded adjustment of thecounterweight 24 on the threaded boom 22a which varies the distance ofthe counterweight 24 from the pivot axis 32. Exemplary distances of Cand D, where D is greater than C, are illustrated in FIG. 1.

Mounting 20 also includes appropriate structure for allowing rotativemovement of the boom 22 relative to the body 16. To this end, there isincluded an internal cylindrical plug 20d threadably engaged in the bodyend 16b and extending slightly beyond this body end. The extendingportion of the plug 20d is machined so as to have a reduced crosssection 20c and is inserted into the upper opening of the mounting body20a. A stop pin 20 disposed through a bore in the mounting body 20aextends into the shoulder formed by the reduced section 20e and iseffective to hold the mounting body 20a on to the end of the lamp body16 while permitting rotative movement A in the boom 22 relative to thelamp body 16. The normal degree of frictional binding of the stop pin20f against the reduced section 20e is sufiicient to maintain or holdthe counterpoise boom 22 in any rotative position in which it is placedby the user and thus minimizes inadvertant rotative movement of the boom22.

Completing the construction of the lamp is a universal mounting means 34connecting the light means 26 to the end of the boom 22. The mountingmeans 34 is conventionally constructed and includes a body 34athreadably engaged to the boom 22 and having a sphericallyshapedaperture 34b accommodating a spherical element 36a of a lamp-mountingfixture 36.

Referring now to the second lamp embodiment 10a, it will be understoodthat it is identical in all major respects to the already described lamp10 and, as such, the same parts are designated by the same referencenumerals. The major difference is that the embodiment 1011 has a floorstand formed by an upstanding tubular member 38:: rotatably receiving atits upper end the lamp body 16a and having at its opposite end alaterally extending base 381) of suflicient extent to prevent tipping ofthe lamp 10a.

A latitude of modification, change, and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistant with the spirit and scopeof the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A lamp comprising a support member having an arcuate shape bounding asemicircular clearance space operatively arranged in a verticalorientation with said clearance space situated below said supportmember, support means operatively arranged to rotatably mount one end ofsaid support member, a counterpoise boom including a counterweight and alight means supported on opposite ends of said counterpoise boom, andmounting means at the opposite end of said support member operativelyeffective to rotatably and pivotally mount said counterpoise boom in adepending relation on said support member so as to be movable throughrotatable and pivotal traverses relative to said support member withinsaid clearance space beneath said support member.

2. A lamp as defined in claim 1 wherein said counterpoise boom and saidcounterweight are threadably engaged with each other such that thebalance of said counterpoise boom is adjustable by threadably adjustingsaid counterweight on said counterpoise boom.

3. A lamp as defined in claim 1 wherein said support means includes anupstanding tubular member adapted to rotatably accommodate an end ofsaid support member therein and having a laterally extending base at itsopposite end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,714,003 5/1929 Deach 240731,753,553 4/1930 Deach 240-81 2,299,683 10/1942 Curtis 24081 3,185,8385/ 1965 Warshawsky 240-S1 3,275,824 9/ 1966 Hinds 240-81 FOREIGN PATENTS285,045 5/1929 Great Britain.

686,483 1/1953 Great Britain.

541,770 4/1956 Italy.

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

M. H. HAYES, Assistant Examiner.

